What does DeMarco Murray Bring To The Cowboys?

When the Dallas Cowboys drafted Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray in the 3rd round of the 2011 NFL Draft, many people wondered why they would seemingly add another “situational” back to an already crowded backfield, but in reality they added one of the more versatile and complete players available.

In Murray, the Cowboys essentially drafted a running back, wide receiver and kickoff return man all wrapped up into one package. His receiving prowess out of the backfield is by far his primary weapon after he caught 71 passes for 594 yards and 5 touchdowns in his final year as a Sooner.  This versatility means that Cowboys fans should get used to seeing Murray work every offensive skill position, while constantly motioning into and out of the backfield to provide mismatches across the defense.

While most scouts rave on his ability to help out the passing game, his powerful inside style of running the ball likely means he will replace the aging, over-paid and oft injured veteran Marion Barber III.

Not only will Murray contribute on offense, he should also quickly become one of the leaders of the Cowboys underperforming special teams unit. His kickoff return ability, 1,462 yards that ranked him second in Sooners history will give the Cowboys consistency they have not had in recent history. While Felix Jones will likely remain the Cowboys starter at running back, Murray and Tashard Choice will be directly competing for touches.

Cowboys fans do have one area of worry with Murray, injuries, he was often injured throughout his college career, couple that with the injury bug that has seemed to affect the Cowboys running backs the past few years and you have a position of depth that could become thin very quickly. Murray seemed to have gotten over his multitude of injuries his senior year and stayed healthy, playing in every game, so he may have finally licked it.

Hopefully the recent memory of the Cowboys running game not matching up to the high powered passing game will be just that, a memory. If the offensive line rebounds, and the Cowboys stable of running backs stays healthy, this could be a dangerous unit during the 2011 season.